Fine particulate material (PM 2.5) was collected from various sites, which were representative of "background pollution" of the City of Milan. A549 cells (Human alveolar epithelial) were subsequently exposed to different PM doses for various time intervals. PM 2.5 features, as well as cell-particle interactions, were analized by light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. On the basis of previous studies of molecular dynamics and vibrational spectroscopy, a method has been described to obtain useful information on the molecular properties of different carbonaceous materials from the Raman spectra. PM 2.5 can be internalized within cell membranes by phagocytosis. Preliminary results showed that, the Raman spectra of carbon particles (PM 2.5) isolated from their usual environment or encapsulated in a cellular matrix, like that of alveolar epithelial cells, showed differences, indicating that some kind of interaction at the molecular level has occurred.

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